Let’s Build Planter Boxes!

If you’ve had a chance to read my Let’s Build a Tree Bench post, then you already know that in the Fall a few years ago, Mother Nature blew through North Idaho with a sudden, blustery windstorm. I was out of town that November in sunny Cali visiting family when she decided to pay a visit. In that storm, a section of our west backyard fence fell. We also lost many roof shingles (which Farmers Insurance later replaced for us – thank you!) and a hand painted antique window frame that my son had rescued from a Seattle sidewalk and brought to me fell and busted – sob*sob* (I never would have left it outside had I known that a wind storm was even a possibility while I was going to be gone….but I did repair it eventually – click on the picture below to see how it came out) . I have added both a Supply List and set of Instructions for these planter boxes at the bottom of this post.

Hubby asked our neighbor who shared that part of the fence with us if he would consider doing the labor to replace the fence if we paid for the materials. He agreed. Of course, we paid him as well…it is back-breaking work digging those fence post holes in this very rocky soil that we have! Jake, our neighbor, started work on the fence while I was away for the day. When I got home, he had the old fencing removed and was setting the new post. I asked where the old planks were and he pointed to his burn pile! Gasp!!! What!!! Oh, this would NEVER do!

After recovering from my initial shock of seeing that precious wood on the burn pile and thanking the powers that be that Jake hadn’t lit it on fire yet, I told him that I had planned to keep the wood planks for some future project(s) and asked if I could rescue them from the burn pile. He offered to move them for me and placed them behind our shed. He seemed just as puzzled that I’d want to keep the very weathered planks as I was that he would want to burn them. I imagine many people would feel as Jake seemed to when looking at this pile of weathered wood but those of us Creatives know there’s always a way to salvage such treasure!

At the time of my request, I didn’t have a clue as to what I would build with those planks but I figured I could find something cool to create. It wasn’t long before I found my first reclaimed-wood project; it was when I saw my neighbors tree bench! Granted, hers was wrought iron, but a girl’s gotta work with the supplies on hand! I’ve included the pic of the finished bench and you can read all about that fun project and get the instructions on how to build your own here. It’s pretty adorable, huh? We just love it! Best of all? 1) it was virtually free (only needed a buy a few screws) 2) I saved the wood from being burned and 3) we gained a fabulous feature in our backyard! As you will see on that post, the tree dwarfs it now, it has grown so big in the decade since we had it planted.

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After finishing the tree bench, I still had a few planks left and looked around the yard to see what else might be ‘needed’ in the garden area so I could put them to good use. My eyes landed on the garden pots that hold my two arbors – information on how to build those can be found here. I had noticed that the pots, which were plastic, had started to crack at the corners and knew something would have to eventually be done to replace them.

Original planters

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Being the procrastinator that I can be when I’m not sure how to fix something or think it might be difficult, I just left the pots to weather and crack. I had no idea how to replace them without pulling out the 4 x 4 posts of the arbors and staring with fresh pots. That is, UNTIL, I had this extra wood to create with! As I was looking at those pitiful plastic pots, I thought there must be some way I could remove them and build new ones around the existing soil….and that, my friend, is exactly what I did!

In order to determine the size of the new planters, I measured the largest part each of the pots which was the top rim then I would cut the wood 4 inches longer than that – 18″ to give room to add more soil. The first step in this project after knowing what size the planter boxes would be was to remove the plastic pots. Since they were pretty brittle, I figured it would be fairly easy to remove them, I just needed to decide which tool I had that would work best to cut the pot away from the soil. Looking back, I’m sure that my reciprocating saw would have been the best choice but I went old school and chose to cut them apart by hand, using the drywall saw I used on the stairwell project (that was a fun project too!)

Once I had the cut started on each pot, they did break apart fairly easy and quick. Of course, it took longer than I thought it would (I should put that on a t-shirt since that happens on literally every project, ever – can I get an AMEN?!) The soil stayed intact like I had hoped since it was held together with roots from old plants and from being confined to the old pot size. (As I didn’t plan to blog about any of my projects, I don’t have detail pictures of the progress – although, I’m pretty sure I have some somewhere).

Beginning construction

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For the construction of the planter boxes, I used my skill saw to cut a 2 x 4 post for each corner a couple of inches taller than the old pots and then used my nail gun to secure the planks to the posts. Since I was doing the main construction in the garage and would need to do the final assembly in the garden, I left the 4th side open. When the 3 sides were attached to the posts, I then stapled landscape cloth to the inside of the planter box to protect the wood from the soil using the staple gun. With the 3 sides of the first box done, I carried it outside and set it around exposed soil. I made sure the ground under the new planter box was level before attaching the 4th side. Once that side was attached, I reached inside between the new box and the soil to make sure the landscape cloth covered that 4th side too.

With the 4th side attached, I gently broke loose the old soil and added additional soil, filling the space between the existing block of soil and the new planter box then moved on to removing the second plastic pot. After all the planters were in place and the soil had been added, to secure the planks to the 2 x 4s, I also used screws.

When I moved to box #3, I thought I’d attach the boards in an even rather than offset pattern. While I liked the look, I decided to remove the boards and place them offset like boxes #1 and #2.

Design decision

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Adding top framing

Now that all 4 planter boxes assembled and filled with soil, they looked a bit unfinished so I decided to add a ‘topper’. I debated on just what look I wanted and then chose to ‘frame’ them by mitering the corners. The fence planks have only 1″ thickness to them, so to create a larger base to attach the top frame, I cut a new 1 x 2 board into 4 pieces for each planter and used screws to attach that extra piece along the top of each side then the nail gun to attach the frame to that structure, adding a few screws for extra strength. As you can see, I had run out of full-length boards so I needed to use small pieces for the toppers. While I adore the rustic look, I find that I have a difficult time not trying to make it look perfect….in this case, I had no choice but to use bits & pieces and the result is rustically charming!

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While doing all this contruction in the garden area, going back and forth between the two arbors, I managed to lose a small but vital piece of my nail gun. All of a sudden, it just stopped working. I finally figured out that a part was gone along with a tiny (i.e. iddy, biddy) screw. I looked around for a bit and then went into my sewing room to get a metal bowl that has a large magnet on the bottom – it is created to hold sewing needles and was a gift from a friend. I took that out to the grass and on hands & knees crawled around using it to locate anything metal…..AND…. low and behold! found the screw in the MIDDLE of the grass between the two arbors! However, I was still missing the part. Somehow, my intuition kicked in and said ‘psst, look under the hosta plant behind planter #4′. “Right, I thought, sure, I’ll find it there”….but I figured I might as well look. It was either that or drive into town and buy a new nail gun and I will go to great lengths not to stop in the middle of a project to go buy more supplies. Because the hosta plant is large and really close to the new planter I couldn’t LOOK behind the planter box so I leaned over it and reached my right hand down between the box and the hosta and VOILA! it WAS there! Talk about amazing! 🙂 I even took a picture of the parts to show hubby because I was just so shocked that I found them!

The new planter boxes made with reclaimed wood fit the look of the garden area so much better than the original plastic pots. If you’re looking for a unique planter box, grab some wood – old or new – and create one! If I could do it with no plans, you can too! However, I DID add a Supply list and Instructions for your convenience!

Completed planters

After the first year, I treated the wood with Thompson’s Water Seal. The 2nd year, I didn’t get around to treating the wood, so this year, I applied a clear, oil based stain – Preserva Wood.

Supplies Used per Planter Box

• 4 – 6″ x 1″ x 8′ Wood Planks
• 1 – 1″ x 2″ x 8′ Wood Board
• 1 – 2″ x 4″ x 6′ Treated Wood Post
• Skill saw or miter saw
• Screws and/or nails
• Screwdriver and/or hammer
• Nail gun (optional)
• Compressor (optional)
• Landscape cloth (optional)

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to order through these links, it will be at no extra cost to you

Instructions

• Cut 12 18″ pieces of the 6″ x 1″ x 8′ Wood Planks
• Cut 4 18″ pieces of the 1″ x 2″ x 8′ Wood Board
• Cut 4 18″ pieces of the 2″ x 4″ x 6′ Wood Post
• Lay 2 of the 2″ x 4″ x 6′ Wood Posts on a table 4″ side down about 14″ apart, begin assembling by attaching the three 6″ x 1″ x 8′ Wood Planks using nail gun (you could also use screws or nails)
  • I offset my boards to get a rustic look. You can just attach them evenly if you prefer (see picture of box #3 above)
• Stand up the finished side and stand the 3rd 2″ x 4″ x 6′ Wood Post on its end about 14″ from the side then attach the three 6″ x 1″ x 8′ Wood Planks making side #2
• Follow the instructions for side #2 to attach side #3
• If using landscape cloth, staple to the inside of the 3 sides leaving enough length for side #4
• If replacing pots as I did, carry planter box to location and set around soil then attach the last three 6″ x 1″ x 8′ Wood Planks for side #4
• Nail or screw the four pieces of 1″ x 2″ x 8′ Wood Board along the top edge of the planter box on all 4 sides
• Measure length then cut 4 pieces of the 6″ x 1″ x 8′ Wood Planks using a miter saw set at a 90 degree angle
• Attach the top frame to the planter boxes with screws or nails
• Fill with soil and plants

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